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​Calling Female Entrepreneurs!

My mission in 2018 is to connect and help 100 female entrepreneurs this year.

​Are you one of them?

My zone of genius is to blow the colours you need into your life right now to support your business goals for the next year. Red can give you confidence. And passion. But only in the right places as too much can turn into anger and panic. Your power colour is the colour that gives you confidence may be different. Knowing which colours resonate with you is part of building your authentic brand and showing up confidently as you.

My goal is to help 100 female entrepreneurs in 2018 to be authentic to themselves and their brand.

If this sounds like you, send me a message to arrange a free 20 minute online discovery call. Limited places available each week so check out my schedule now!

By wearing black, the acting industry came together yesterday in a show of power at the Golden Globes.

This was NOT a fashion statement but a show of power and resilience.

Time's Up organised campaign focused on making sure that "The clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace. It's time to do something about it."

Oprah Winfrey's words shone out during her acceptance speech for the 2018 Cecil B. de Mille award "I want all of the girls watching here now to know, that a new day is on the horizon.”

Actresses stood together on the red carpet in solidarity to show that this industry can no longer hide and protect those men who have taken far more than their entitlement. Many women were photographed linking arms with other women to enforce this stand of unity.

The Power of Black

Black has always had a powerful impact and is often to show power and dominance over others, or on the flip side, subservience as uniforms of those serving the more powerful.

Black was a great choice for this community as it communicates power and rebellion as well as elegance.

Using black in this scenario provided a strong sense of solidarity amongst the attendees. I loved the fact that Claire Foy (plays the Queen in Netflix's The Crown) chose trousers over a dress as well to make the point that this is not about fashion and women should not be treated as objects to be looked at, but recognised for their worth in the jobs they perform.

Jess Cartner-Morley wrote in The Guardian today that "With an almost airtight blackout and a sea of Time’s Up pins, the images from this year’s ceremony spoke of women in terms of power and solidarity rather than glamour or competition."

Cynics may say that black is the normal go-to colour for events such as these, but the addition of the black Time's Up pins and the constant reference to the campaign during speeches made sure that the message rang loud and clear.

The tide is turning and women are no longer accepting the status quo. I feel this power rising up and I am proud to be a woman in 2018 and I want to do everything possible to make sure my daughters will not suffer the same inequality as I have - in salaries and also having to feel the need to fend off unwarranted advances from men.

Colour is a very ​​​​powerful tool.

For political movements, colour in fashion has produced some very memorable images that stay with us. Black's opposite - white was most famously used by the Suffragette movement in the UK.

2018 marks the 100 year anniversary since the suffragettes used white with green and purple for their uniform to get votes or women in the UK. This was an era when dark colours were standard place and laundry was an all day task. The suffragette movement chose white for purity, purple for dignity and green for hope. The long flowing white dresses which were chosen also stood out in photographs well and made for great images in the media that spread their message far faster than possible by word of mouth or text. There is nothing media likes more than a strong image!

Other protest colours

In 2017, women (and men) protesting the election of Donald Trump in the USA marched on Washington wearing their "pussy hats" in pink - this unified the crowd and also had the big visual impact media loves to spread the news further. The key elelments that made this successful were:

Choosing a colour firmly associated with women - pink

making the key symbol a handmade knitted item - seen as a 'woman's thing' of insignificance

This highlighted the strength of protest these marchers felt against the newly elected and well known misogynist president - Donald Trump.

This first march has developed into the Pussyhat Project which is a social movement focused on raising awareness about women's issues and advancing human rights. Marches are planned throughout 2018.

Creating visual unity is a key element in any protest.

At the Golden Globes, through the almost complete black out in the attire of attendees, a powerful message was sent out to all who watched. News stories and blog posts, like mine are spreading this action further.

We all need to band together to make sure no-one is never too scared to speak out again against abuse.

"Colour is the strongest element you need to create visual unity for a cause."

Kandinsky spent many years painting, but also studying colour and it's affect on us all from his perspective as a painter. He saw that colour is a power which directly influences the soul. Kandinsky's analysis on forms and colours resulted not from simple, arbitrary idea-associations but from the painter's inner experience. He spent years creating abstract, sensorially rich paintings, working with form and colour, tirelessly observing his own paintings and those of other artists, noting their effects on his sense of colour. [1] This subjective experience is something that anyone can do—not scientific, objective observations but inner, subjective ones.

Kandinsky saw that colours on the painter's palette evoke a double effect:

a purely physical effect on the eye which is charmed by the beauty of colours, similar to the joyful impression when we eat a delicacy.

also the effect can be much deeper, causing a vibration of the soul or an "inner resonance"—a spiritual effect in which the colour touches the soul itself.

It is looking at this inner effect that touches our souls that we discover our true colours and develop our own colour palette to follow in life.

Our brains react to colour immediately.

By knowing your true colours, you will be able to control the emotions felt by you and radiated to others.

Colour has an amazing emotional effect on all humans. We cannot help but be affected by colour, and amazingly enough research has also shown that blind people can also feel different colours.

Colour is the result of how we process the reflectance of energy waves, these waves then go directly into our brains to be processed. Our brains then analyse these energy values received internally and process into colours that we see and feel.

Knowing how to use your true colours is part of the journey to build greater confidence in your life and every situation that you face daily where a little helping hand is appreciated. These true colours can be defined as the colours that affect you in certain but very definite ways, and should be noted and acted upon.

The 4 true colours to define are:

Power Colour

Focal Colour

Dramatic Colour

tint

Accent Colour

To define these yourself requires the personal application of colour psychology. As you become more colour sensitive, with time and observance you will be able to work out what your true colours are for yourself.

This is something that my clients often ask for help with as initially it can be very hard to see through clearly into which colours are your true colours, and asking an expert to walk you through the process can be preferable to some.

POWER COLOUR

this colour will encourage people to take you seriously

The Power Colour makes you feel great, confident and knowledgeable. When I am going to interview someone, or attending a job interview, I would wear my power colour. The exact tone or shade of a colour will affect you differently; so do make a note of the exact colour that gives you this feeling. If you have an item of clothing that makes you feel this way already, make a note of this being your Power colour.

TOP TIP:Why not take a good picture of this colour (in daylight for colour accuracy) and save it on your phone. Next time you go shopping take a look at this image to remind yourself of the best colours to look for you.

FOCAL COLOUR

this colour is your ideal colour to de-stress and soothe you

We all like lazy days, and there is nothing better than relaxing with your Focal Colour around you. This need not be in clothing alone, as colour psychology is about all colours that surround us. Your Focal colour may be on your walls, your sofa, or other interior decoration. Maybe it is a spot outside that is full of this colour to de-stress and soothe you. Many people relate to soft greens that are found in the country that has led the rise to the 'escape to the country' weekends for many inner city inhabitants. A walk along a beach staring into the waves is a sure place for me to not only unwind but also re-energise - that combination of yellow sands and sun and blue ocean is in perfect synchronisation for my batteries to get refilled.

DRAMATIC COLOUR

this colour lifts your spirits and creates a positive visual impact on others

Having a "go-to" colour that lifts your spirits and creates a positive visual impact on others is precisely what your Dramatic Colouris all about. Heading out for the night with friends would be a prime example of wearing this colour - or indeed having to make that all important presentation at work in front of a large group.

ACCENT COLOUR

this colour captures the essence of your entire personality, when you are feeling good it will create maximum impact

Your Accent Colour will not necessarily give you extra energy, but if you are feeling good, it will create maximum impact and help to project your full personality, as this is the colour that captures the essence of your entire personality.

​​​​Do you have colours that resonate with you powerfully?

I would love to hear about your experiences. Drop me an email directly or join me on Facebook to continue the conversation.

Last night was one of those nights for me. I had an event to attend. There is an hour before the talk when attendees are invited to come and get a drink and meet people. But entering a loud room full of very chatty people, stood deep in conversation just hit me like a wave and drained all my energy.

Because I am an introvert by nature.

One on one, I can chat away quite happily. I have an open smile for anyone who wants to approach me. But to approach and step into others conversations is so, so energy draining.

I had to walk past all the chatty compatriots into the room that was empty awaiting the speaker to collect my thoughts and energy. I knew the topic would be useful - and the speaker was fabulous. But the small talk wasn’t in me at all. I was running on empty. My day had already been full of other business events and social contact.

But interestingly, when the speaker asked us to talk to the person next to us, about what motivates us in business, I came alive! My conversation with my partner, who I had never spoken to before, was free flowing.

Because that’s the thing with us introverts. One on one we are great. Big loud groups, not so.

Is this you too?

I have read many research papers, studied entrepreneurialism and worked with various entrepreneurs and new business owners during my life. A good proportion of entrepreneurs are natural introverts in nature as well and the thing is we don’t have to play the extroverts game.

We have the same barriers to overcome and lack confidence (or should I say energy?) in certain situations that we were told we must do. Like those god-awful networking meetings. I hate them. I hate pushy sales pitches. Everything a transaction.

I want to build relationships instead and get to know people. Along the way I can offer advice and add meaningful value to their business as well.

I work by building trust and respect.

This is a core value of how I work and today I wanted to share that with you, as I continue on my journey to help fellow introvert entrepreneurs embrace colour to boost confidence in themselves and their brands.

I hope you stay for the ride as no doubt there will be some interesting views along the way.

I would love to hear which demons you face as an introvert in the business world. Let’s see if we can tackle them together.